Sarah Morgan is one of my favourite authors. She excels in her stories of relationships, romance and family. Family for Beginners checks all the boxes and more.
Flora Donovan has suffered hardship in her life. Orphaned at a young age, she went to live with an aunt who conveyed that Flora was a burden to her. While her work as a florist and her circle of friends provide her a happy life, she feels that what she is missing more than anything is a family.
When Jack Parker walks into her florist shop one day looking for flowers for his daughter Izzy’s seventeenth birthday, Flora learns that Jack has lost his wife in the past year. The conversation is easy and Flora and Jack soon begin dating. Flora has insight into what Jack’s two daughters are feeling with the loss of their mother. Emma Parker, Jack’s youngest, is immediately taken by Flora. Izzy, however, feels that Jack should not be dating yet and feels he is betraying their mother.
The story is sweet and speaks about the challenges of dealing with grief, keeping secrets to protect the ones we love, and moving forward. The story unfolds from a trio of perspectives – Flora, Izzy and Clare, who is a childhood friend of Jack’s late wife. The characters are well developed and likeable and the story kept me engaged throughout. I was pleasantly surprised that Flora and Jack’s relationship develops and moves very quickly, and in more of a linear trajectory, then what I would expect from a romance novel.
I enjoyed this book very much and will recommend it to those that enjoy romance and fiction novels about family relationships. I listened to the audiobook version of the book via my local library and appreciated the narration by Katherine Fenton.